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From presidents Carter, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush.

The Bicentennial

July 04, 1976

Source: Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library

On the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, President Gerald Ford, center right, along with Senator John Warner of the Bicentennial Administration, center left, initiated the ringing of the “Bicentennial Bells” across the nation from aboard the USS Forrestal in New York Harbor. The ringing of the bells was one of many ceremonial events celebrating the Bicentennial.